Plan to Consolidate Bursary Funds Attracts Support
By Ronald Ngoba
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmai.com
Kilifi County MP Getrude Mbeyu supports the move to amalgamate and consolidate all scholarships/funding opportunities saying this is the remedy of perennial fees challenges facing many a needy students.
She wants proper reforms and defined policies to be put in place in merging all the financial kitties to facilitate free education for all learners from primary to university level.
Mbeyu, speaking in Kilifi town after handing over water tanks to various learning institutions, poked holes on the criteria used in awarding bursaries from county to national level saying they have loopholes one with connections can exploit to benefit from more than one source.
“The main reason why l’m in support of this amalgamation idea is because taxpayers money is being siphoned into private pocket.
There are no define structures of monitoring disbursement of such funds. If all the existing education funds can be merged into one kitty, it will be easy for controlling and monitoring purposes so as to pave way for free education to all students.”
The legislator says the various scholarships and bursaries are married to corruption and bias, thus, halting the sponsorship of deserving and needy students from disadvantaged families or communities.
“Under this government plan, all the data about the students will also be consolidated in a kitty from where bursaries will be issued instead of having multiple sources.
We have hard cases where students being awarded bursary from multiple sources because their parents were campaign supporters or well connection people.”
We want reforms that will centralized and seal duplication because our constitution guarantees every child right to free and compulsory basic education.”
She challenges the national government to come up with policies and regulations that will protect vulnerable families that are struggling to secure financial assistance from the different cadres of education funds.
“Students need to access quality education irrespective of ethnical group, political affiliation or family status.”
She accuses Kilifi government officers of being biased on allocation and distribution of education funds with the seven parliamentary constituencies.
“It’s so sad and I feel concerned when everyday people flock to my office seeking bursary after being locked out by the County government.”
